


Loop Twenty-Four

by HazelGatoya



Series: Between the Devil and the Digital Sea [1]
Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Being Homura Is Suffering, Being Meguca Is Suffering, Gen, Homura has given up control of this loop, Madoka has seen some things, Madoka is doing her best, One-Sided Kamijou Kyousuke/Miki Sayaka, Pre-Canon, Pre-Canon Homura Time Loop, So that gore is only mentioned once towards the beginning, Too much went wrong too early, Very sharp teeth and human bodies do not mix, sayaka is not a magical girl yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23626660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazelGatoya/pseuds/HazelGatoya
Summary: Na na na na, every day, it's like my Ipod's stuck on replay.It's been three weeks since Madoka became a magical girl and heard of the threat called Walpurgisnaught from her friend Homura. She's been training with Mami ever since. On Monday, this punk named Kyoko came down from Kasamino, but that situation was handled. Yesterday, Kyubey started talking to Sayaka, telling her that she could save Kyosuke Kamijou's hand.Today's Wednesday. If Sayaka wants to become a magical girl, she should know what she's getting into and who she'll be working with.
Series: Between the Devil and the Digital Sea [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659613
Comments: 16
Kudos: 33





	Loop Twenty-Four

"Is this another part of your duties as a magical girl?"

"I wouldn't call it a duty." Madoka shook her head, looking back at Sayaka, considering how to best explain... this. "And the only thing it has to do with my contract is that Homura-chan is also a magical girl and the reason I made my wish."

"Homura?" Sayaka looked up at the apartment complex they were standing in front of. "I thought that Mami-san was the reason you made your wish. She said you saved her leg when it got eaten by a witch and that's why your healing powers are so amazing."

"Homura-chan is the reason Mami survived long enough for me to even do anything." Madoka grimaced, starting up the stairs. "She did mention there being another girl that I saved with my wish in that explanation but... none of us like talking about that day."

"I... I've gathered that," Sayaka admitted, voice quieter. "How bad-"

Madoka waved her hands to banish the question, already doing her best to stop her head from pulling up the image of Homura looking- _no. Never again. You became a magical girl for this_. "Bad. It was _bad._ Mami might have survived if I hadn't come it, albeit down a leg, but Homura-chan..." _She was gurgling words despite the b_ _its of brain and blood in her normally beautiful hair, bones twisted and snapped and visible in her deformed legs, ropy, slimy things beneath her stomach, an eye and her left arm with a steadily darkening gem sitting inches away from a terrified Mami- NO._ Madoka squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her hands against her face, summoning the many other images that actually looked like Homura in her head. Long, flowing hair, easy movement, spotless clothing. Not the bloodied almost-corpse.

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me about it." Sayaka took hold of her shoulders, squeezing, and Madoka took a deep breath, dragging herself back into the present. It didn't matter anymore. That had all been erased by her wish. Mami and Homura were fine now, all that was left of the incident was horrid memories, her new friendships, and her own pink soul gem. She didn't regret one of those, and that gave the other two worth. "Worse than Kyosuke, just for scale?"

"Way, way, way worse than Kyosuke's accident," Madoka confirmed with a nod, starting up the stairs again. "Kyubey said the only reason she didn't die straight out was because magical girls are more resilient than normal humans. It's part of his job to make us that way."

Sayaka was silent as they continued upwards to the top of the complex. Contemplating, hopefully. Madoka bit her lip. While fighting witches was kind of fun, it was also horribly dangerous. She had made the contract knowing that- it was _why_ she had made her contract. Sayaka had more of a choice in the matter than Madoka had in the moment she'd seen Mami and Homura. Sure, Kyosuke was suffering, but he would live through his injury even if he could no longer play violin. She wanted Sayaka to understand, completely, what being a magical girl meant before she took that contract that Kyubey was offering.

And the best teacher of that Madoka had for harsh reality and clarity wasn't Mami. It was Homura. Even if the dark-haired girl could be cryptic as all get-out sometimes, the dangers of a magical girl was not a topic she minced words on.

Madoka rang the doorbell to the flat. "What is this girl like, by the way?" Sayaka asked nervously. "Is she older, like Mami?"

"No..." Madoka sighed. "You know that transfer student we were supposed to get but didn't?"

"Wait-"

Sayaka was interrupted by the door cracking open, a very wary face framed by red hair staring out at them, a door chain now the only thing keeping them out of the apartment. "Ohhhh... heyyyy... Madoka, right?" 

"Kyoko?" Madoka blinked. "Yes, Madoka's my name. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Same." Kyoko gave a small, slightly grimacing smile, taking the chain off of the apartment. "Who's the blue-haired chick?"

"This is Sayaka Miki, my best friend from school," Madoka replied, taking Sayaka's hand and carefully stepping into the mostly white apartment. Sayaka gasped, her eyes widening at the metal clutter and the pendulum. "Kyubey's trying to get her to contract, so I want her to be informed about the decision, y'know?"

"Oh heaven help us," Kyoko groaned. "Why, fuzzball?"

"Why... is that everyone's reaction?" Sayaka asked, eyes still fixed on the AK-47 propped against the wall.

"Kyoko!" Came distantly from the back of the flat and the redhead jumped about a foot in the air. Madoka winced at the obvious annoyance in Homura's voice. "I thought you wanted to be helpful!"

"I'm coming, good lord!" Kyoko called back. "She wants goddamn vinegar," she muttered to the two of them. "And with the way that concoction is bubbling and considering the rest of the explosives in that room, I don't want her leaving said concoction unattended."

"I know where the vinegar is." Madoka hurried into the kitchen, raising her voice to a volume that she knew Homura could hear. "She'll be back in a second Homura-chan, she was just saying hello to us!"

The response took a moment, during which Madoka got up on her step-stool and opened the cupboard to get down the bottle of white vinegar. "I'm sorry Madoka, I completely lost track of time-"

"It's okay, finish what you're doing!" She handed the bottle to Kyoko, who sprinted off with it. "I'll just be in the kitchen!" 

There was an affirmative sound, and Sayaka followed Madoka back into the kitchen. "I'm sorry, she makes explosives?"

"Yup. She can't magically make weapons like Mami, Kyoko and I can. She has this cool shield that she can store things in, though," Madoka replied, getting the leftover rice and the garlic and ginger she'd prepared yesterday out of the fridge and carefully bringing down the wok. This kitchen smelled suspiciously like instant soba noodles. Probably Kyoko's doing. Homura didn't eat unless someone fed her, which both worried Madoka and drove her up the wall. "Also, I'm pretty sure she stole all of her guns from the yakuza. Can't just make those at home."

"A...and this girl is _our age?_ " Sayaka looked absolutely dumbfounded. 

"Yup." Madoka placed the wok on the stove and began heating it up. "You've seen me and Mami in action before."

"That was... that was flashy, and magical and fantastic." Sayaka bit her lip. "This girl is working her butt off in order to do the same thing, it sounds like. Her powers are forcing her to be illegal."

"Sometimes that's the roll of the dice you get. Homura-chan is very down-to-earth on her good days, so that might have something to do with her powers," Madoka explained as she coated the wok with oil before placing the garlic and ginger inside.

"She has good days?" Kyoko poked her head into the kitchen. "Please tell me this isn't one of them, I swear she's been swinging from about to pass out to about to set the entire apartment on fire and cause of that, blow up the entire block. And it's been an entire day of this, mind you."

"No, that's not her good days-" Madoka replied.

"Oh thank god."

"Those are her normal days," Madoka finished, dumping the rice into the wok.

" _Dammit!_ "

"Blow up the entire block..." Sayaka repeated slowly.

"There are enough explosives in here for that," Kyoko groaned, burying her face in her hands. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised that Homura-chan let you into her home after the fiasco that was Monday." Madoka poked at the rice with the wooden spatula that she'd brought from home when she'd first started coming over here to practice her cooking and had never taken back since. "Then again, she did say she was roping you into the Walpurgisnaught project, and that tends to motivate her. I hope she's not bullying you too much..."

"Bullying? Nah." Kyoko shook her head, staring at her. "...You really are a lil' pink ball of sunshine, aren't you?" 

Madoka blushed. "Um..."

"And you make food to boot." Kyoko rubbed the back of her head. "Okay, first apology was kind of coerced out of me by the fact that Miss Ticking Time Bomb would have straight-up murdered me if I hadn't said it? But I mean it this time. I am _so_ sorry for threatening to beat you up the other day."

"Oh, thank you. And it's okay." Madoka smiled at her before adding the vegetables to the rice. "You were just worried about surviving, right? Mami said most magical girls are like that and she seems really happy that you're working with us, awkward or not."

Sayaka looked between the two of them, eyes wide. "...This isn't staged, is it?"

"No, Blueberry. No." Kyoko gave a wild, slightly grimacing grin. "You haven't even met Homura, have you? She doesn't go to school."

"Noooo?" Sayaka swallowed. "Do you really think she'd kill you?"

"Over threatening Madoka? I know when people are serious about their death threats, sugar, and Homura has the scariest _I'm going to kill you_ face I've ever seen." Kyoko shook her head, and Madoka's smile faded. Worst part of all of this was that she could believe it. 

"But you're all fighting for the same cause..."

"Uh-uh. We are different people with different agendas. Just cause we all hunt witches does't mean we work together well. It's the opposite more often than not," Kyoko snorted. "Look, if you're looking to become a magical girl, you need to let go of your expectations and face the cold, hard truth of the matter. You are throwing your life to witch hunts for a lie otherwise. You gotta know the risks."

"Is Sayaka Miki here?" Homura's voice suddenly demanded, and Kyoko stiffened, whirling around while Sayaka paled.

"Yes," Madoka called, deciding not to ask how Homura knew it was Sayaka. "Kyubey's asking her to contract."

There was silence for a moment, and Kyoko swallowed, backing into the kitchen. "I," Homura seethed, "am going to _kill_ that cookie-less, _O_ _reo-_ "

"Homura-chan," Madoka interrupted in the tone she had become very accustomed to for Homura's rare _bad_ days. Soft, sweet, gentle, with just a hint of sadness and a pinch of firmness. Yesterday had been one of those bad days, so the proper tone came easier today.

This week had been interesting, even in terms of magical girls.

A huff. "Forgive me." Both Kyoko and Sayaka gaped at Madoka in awe, and pig-tailed girl gave her another small smile, turning off the stove. The rice was fried. "Today's been longer than usual. And you know mentioning the Incubator-"

"Throws you out of sorts, yeah." Madoka added the sesame oil and soy sauce, the salt and pepper, mixing it all together. "Stay out there on the couch, I'm done in here and will be out in a second. You could probably use that second to breathe."

"Given you've likely been working all day as well, you could also use a second to breathe," Homura replied dryly, and Madoka grinned as she scooped the rice into bowls, handing one to Kyoko, one to Sayaka, and taking two out for her and Homura, both girls following behind her.

Homura wasn't sitting on the couch to breathe, most of the gunpowder and other metal clutter had actually been cleared out of the room by the time that everyone came in, the display screens completely uncovered if still blank and the dark-haired girl hanging up the AK-47 on it's the wall hooks, her hair thrown back into a ponytail, dressed in a black tank top and a long, dark violet skirt. "Mixing go well today?" Madoka asked, noting wryly that Homura was probably the only person that she would ever know who made bombs in a skirt.

"Well enough. I have three more to add to the collection for my efforts." Homura tugged her ponytail out, flipping her hair behind her as she walked over to the couch and perched on the edge of it, crossing her legs. "I apologize for the clutter when you came in, Miki-san, I was unaware that I would be having company other than Madoka and Kyoko."

"Oh, no, you're fine," Sayaka replied hurriedly while Madoka sat down next to Homura and Kyoko, already eating the rice sat across from them. Sayaka opted to sit down next to Kyoko, carefully and cautiously, but the redhead didn't do anything. Madoka smiled, handing Homura's bowl of rice to her. "How do you know my name?"

"Madoka does talk about you and Shizuki sometimes. I've noticed the Incubator eyeing you at times while he has no interest in Shizuki." Homura stirred her rice with her chopsticks, frowning gently. "If he were to choose a friend of hers to become a magical girl, it would be you."

"Incubator?"

"Kyubey," Madoka explained briefly. "Kyubey is the nickname he prefers, he and Homura-chan aren't exactly on good terms." That was an understatement with how many times she'd caught the dark-haired girl going after Kyubey with a broom or worse when he decided to just... pop in to the apartment.

He really needed to quit doing that, it didn't make _anyone_ happy and was a waste of everyone's time.

"I've noticed that no one seems excited at the thought of me becoming a magical girl." Sayaka's brow creased. "I do have a wish..."

"You will regret making it," Homura replied immediately, her tone one someone would use when reciting a fact out of a textbook. "And because of that regret, complicate matters beyond any of our control. It's obvious that you're important to Madoka, I don't want her to grieve because of your death."

"...You have absolutely no faith in my abilities and I don't even have them yet." Sayaka stared at her, a familiar anger in her eyes. 

"Your _abilities_ are not the problem," Homura replied, tone still cool. She still hadn't taken a bite of her food. Madoka carefully kept watch between her two friends, lips pressed together. There was silence for a moment, and then Homura sighed, lifting a hand when Sayaka went to speak. "Look, I gave up on any control of this situation when Madoka contracted. If you wish to become a magical girl, to throw your soul away for a boy who will never love you-"

"Hey!" Sayaka squawked, face reddening, and Madoka outright stared at Homura now.

"Then I cannot and will not stop you. Just be certain that you are prepared for the mental and emotional stress that will come with it and stick with Mami and Madoka. I will also expect your help with Walpurgisnaught, and if you are not prepared for that, you will most assuredly die."

Kyoko swallowed the rest of her rice. "How the flip do you know all of these details?"

Homura narrowed her eyes. "I have my ways."

"I hate that response," Kyoko muttered, getting up and heading back to the kitchen. "Miki, wasn't it? What she said, she gave you all the warnings and stuff I would have. Do not recommend giving your wish to someone else."

Sayaka looked terribly embarrassed now, and she set the bowl on the table. "I'll be back," she muttered and ran after Kyoko.

Madoka watched her go, then looked back at Homura. "Kyosuke is kind of a sensitive subject."

"Madoka, if you wanted her to have a sensitive warning, you should have stuck with Mami and you know it," Homura replied with a soft sigh, her muscles relaxing slightly as she leaned against the back of the couch, closing her eyes. "She will regret becoming a magical girl. She doesn't deserve our fate."

"I know, and thank you for being honest with her." Madoka had known she would be harsh and had come anyways. She didn't want Sayaka to hate her friend and didn't think this would do it, but life was strange nowadays. "You should eat," she murmured softly, placing her hand on Homura's shoulder and gently rubbing the taller girl's collarbone with her thumb. She still felt tense. "I'll talk to her later and hope that Kyoko isn't too hard on her."

"...I think she'll be fine. Sayaka isn't a magical girl." Homura opened her eyes slightly, gaze sliding over to Madoka. "And I hope she does not become one, though she likely will despite all our warnings. I'm sorry I wasn't more-"

"Don't." Madoka squeezed her shoulder. "You've already been paying a lot of attention to the rest of our well-being, and you're the one who resolved the Kyoko situation. I can't expect you to keep a constant eye on Sayaka-chan too."

"I'm also the one who caused the Kyoko situation, apparently." Homura sighed softly, sitting up and beginning to eat her fried rice. Madoka took her hand back, picking up her own chopsticks. "She came because she was concerned about the fact that the yakuza is freaking out over stolen guns. Which is... good to know. For future reference."

"Still, it seems like you two are... getting along?"

"I'm feeding her," Homura mumbled around a mouthful of rice. "We are therefore on civil terms."

"I thought the kitchen smelled like soba noodles." Madoka giggled softly, taking a bite of her own rice. "She's really not that bad, is she?"

"No." Homura stopped eating for a moment, covering a yawn with one hand. "She's easy to pacify at least. She still shouldn't have threatened you and Mami."

"I think this will all work out between the four of us. We'll see where Sayaka fits in if she, despite everything, still makes the decision." Madoka watched the pendulum swing back and forth, taking another bite. "...It's still her decision and everything, but..." 

"You wish she wouldn't. Believe me, I understand." Homura closed her eyes briefly, then turned her full attention to the rice for a moment, finishing it off more quickly than Madoka had ever seen her eat. She winced, knowing that meant that taller girl was forcing it down at this point. At least she was eating, even if she wasn't feeling hungry. "But. No matter how hard you try, sometimes there is simply nothing you can do, even if you've done your best."

And that was the tone she took when she was talking to herself on her bad days. Madoka quietly set the bowl down and pulled Homura into a hug. Homura stiffened up a bit more before sighting and relaxing in her grip, wrapping her arms around her as well. "It's been a long week," she remarked softly.

"Mmmhmmm." Homura took a deep breath in, slowly breathing out again. It made Madoka's hair tickle a little. "I'm sorry-"

"Stop apologizing," Madoka told her softly. "We've talked about this."

Homura huffed softly. "Right. I can apologize for being tired, can I not?"

"That's not your fault, though," Madoka replied. "And you apologize for things that aren't your fault a lot." Especially on the bad days, the bad days that had forced Homura to give her a key to the apartment because she couldn't answer the door and had her crying on the floor more often than not. She apologized for everything. For even thinking about not saving Mami back then, for failing her again(?) and forcing her to contract, for not protecting her, for not coming to school, for not being a better friend, for being so tired, for not feeling up to eating. _Everything._ Madoka knew that they were more panic attacks than actual guilt- she was pretty sure they were anyways- but she still wanted to reassure her.

"Shouldn't be this tired," Homura mumbled. 

"Yeah, Kyubey told me that your fatigue is probably due to my wish."

"Oh?" A hint of interest entered her voice as she shifted.

"Yeah, he mentioned that magical girls don't have to sleep as much as normal people, so I pulled an all-nighter last night and I don't feel tired at all." Which was incredibly odd, since sleep still came easily to her otherwise. Sleep and nightmares. "You knew that happens, right? I don't think Mami does."

"I did," Homura hummed softly. "So the fact that I actually have to sleep is due to...?"

"The fact that I replenished your soul gems with my wish on top of all those injuries. Your energy is going to depleted for awhile despite your soul gem being completely clear and full of magic, I don't know how long it will take for you to be at full strength again."

"I see. That's interesting..." Homura began gently swinging her leg, tapping her heel against the couch to keep in time with the pendulum. Her hand found Madoka's and made their fingers weave together, their rings clinking as she did. "I'll keep it in mind. It would probably be more beneficial for me to actually sleep until Walpurgisnaught arrives in that case, like I threatened to do at the beginning of this loop."

Madoka giggled. That wasn't a good memory, but it wasn't as bad as what had come before. "That wasn't a threat, Homura-chan."

"It had the same energy as most of my threats," the response was dry, but she sounded amused as well, and that made Madoka's smile grow. "I'm glad you starting coming over to make sure I was alright. There is a lot I would have missed if I hadn't decided to experiment."

Madoka hesitated. Homura had mentioned loops several times, she still hadn't asked what they meant because the dark-haired girl only mentioned them on her bad days or when she was falling asleep. Today was no exception. Homura was more coherent than she usually was when she was half-asleep since Madoka was asking questions- Sayaka and Kyoko being in the apartment likely had something to do with it how alert she still was too. She tended to crash after eating, she'd once said something about food making her body feel too heavy to move.

...This week was too ugly for her to ask a question that was obviously personal. Despite the fact that she felt like she had known Homura for her entire life now, it had only been about three weeks since they had met. And she still had time before Walpurgisnaught, and in the silence, Homura was yawning again, her leg stopping it's gentle tick-tock rhythm. Madoka gently stroked the back of her hand with her thumb, and Homura's grip loosened as she leaned in a little more heavily.

Something crashed in the kitchen and they both jumped badly, disentangling and transforming in the same instant. Kyoko poked her head out of the kitchen giving a sheepish wave. "Hey. Uh. Sorry. Knocked over the big pan while trying to wash it, nothing's broken. No witches here."

"Be more careful with my things, please," Homura replied sharply.

"You just startled us." Madoka let her white dress and pink roses turn into her school uniform once again. "Thanks for washing the wok."

"Needed to be washed and we finished off the rice anyways," Sayaka called. "This girl is a black hole."

"You're... that "p" word." Kyoko turned her head, but Madoka still saw her stick her tongue out. "Yo, Homura, you said you only needed me this morning, right?"

"Yes. Is pretentious the word you're looking for?" Homura asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes! That one." Kyoko grinned. "I'm going to take the _pretentious_ one here for a walk if you two don't mind, there's someplace I want to show her."

Madoka tilted her head. "If Sayaka's okay with it..."

"I don't mind!" Sayaka peeked out. "Despite being a rude black hole, she's not that bad."

Homura flicked her hair back as Kyoko pulled another face at Sayaka. The hair hit the back of the couch. Madoka hid her smile. "I see nothing wrong with it. Do as you will."

"Great. The wok is washed and the water's cleaned off of the floor. We'll be back later...?" Madoka nodded encouragingly at that suggestion, and Sayaka smiled, waving. It was a real smile, too, which made Madoka feel infinitely better about this entire venture. "See you later, then."

The two walked out, Kyoko saying something quietly to Sayaka as they did, and Homura slumped against the couch again, her magical girl outfit turning back into her tank top and skirt, giving a bit of a groan. Madoka giggled softly, taking her hand again. "You alright?"

"...I will be. I don't like being surprised." Homura didn't open her eyes, but she did lace their fingers together again. "Do you want to go with them?"

"...I trust Kyoko to take care of her," Madoka replied. Homura needed sleep and she knew that her nightmares were worse than hers and Mami's. About the only time she trusted the other girl actually took care of herself was while she was here. "I think they may have wanted to leave us alone anyways."

"Maybe." Homura moved closer to her, not opening her eyes, and they kept the silence for a moment. "I'm actually going to be quite sad when Walpurgisnaught comes," she murmured after that moment. "Things are going so well, but..." She sighed.

"We'll defeat it, Homura-chan. There are four of us, and we're all very strong."

"God, I hope so." Homura squeezed her hand, and the pain on her face was too great for Madoka to ask about once again. "Thank you for allowing me to be selfish until then."

"You're not being selfish," Madoka assured her softly, and as Homura's mangled form and the clockwork witch she had seen in her nightmares flashed by her eyes again, she knew that what she spoke was truth.


End file.
